More than a quarter of NHL franchises are looking for a new captain. That's a higher than normal turnover rate; after the 2012-13 season, five teams picked new players to wear the 'C,' with the Blue Jackets opting to wait on choosing Rick Nash's replacement.

Leadership positions are a funny thing. It's not just simple ceremony—officializing roles (and the responsibilities and privileges attached) is an important thing in any field. Professional hockey is no different, but ultimately, performance is what counts. Leadership, grit, jam, whatever—they're called "intangibles" for a reason. It's not a coincidence that a team's best players tend to have letters on their jerseys.

Still, someone needs to be the go-to guy for his teammates. Someone needs to be the liaison between players and the coaching staff. Someone needs to deal with the media when nobody else feels like it. Justin Bourne broke down the captain's role in 2012, and he did it perfectly.

All that said, the concept of team captaincy is fun and generally unique to hockey. Football comes closest to replicating the model, but it's not quite the same. Example A: Nobody is going to bother attempting to predict NFL captains during the offseason, which is exactly what's going on here.

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Buffalo Sabres

Last captain: Jason Pominville

The job opened up when Buffalo sent Pominville to the Minnesota Wild at the trade deadline—and it's probably the toughest to predict. The Sabres, as was the case the last two seasons, are a mess. Thomas Vanek was an alternate under Pominville, but he could well be on his way out of town. Same goes for Drew Stafford. Ryan Miller certainly has leadership responsibilities, but he's a goaltender—and, in keeping with the theme, could quickly wind up on the trading block.

Prediction: Christian Ehrhoff

Ehrhoff quietly had a high-caliber 2012-13 season, and he should be in Buffalo for the long haul; his contract (10 years, $40 million) lasts until 2020-21, and its $4 million cap hit suggests he won't ever be an albatross for the franchise. Plus, he's captained Germany at the World Championships. Another option for Buffalo: Pull a Blue Jackets and wait until some of the dust settles on their pseudo-rebuild. Nobody on the current roster makes more sense than Ehrhoff, though.

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Calgary Flames

Last captain: Jarome Iginla

You don't want to be the guy who replaces Jarome Iginla. You want to be the guy who replaces the guy who replaced Jarome Iginla. Iginla's an icon of the sport, one of the best leaders of his generation and the greatest player in Flames history. By a lot. The fact that someone else is going to wear the C in Calgary is bizarre.

Prediction: Mark Giordano

Calgary might also be wise to wait out a season (or two, or three) before choosing Iginla's successor. Whenever that happens, based on the current roster, Giordano makes sense. He was an alternate under Iginla along with Mike Cammalleri, who the Flames have openly attempted to trade.

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Columbus Blue Jackets

Last captain: Rick Nash

Nash wasn't the only captain in the history of the Blue Jackets. It just felt that way. After Nash was finally traded to the New York Rangers last offseason, president John Davidson and coach Todd Richards wisely waited out the season to choose his replacement. It didn't seem to have much an effect on the team — Columbus surprised everyone and made a run at the postseason.

Prediction: Jack Johnson

Johnson's defensive deficiencies are somehow both well-documented and understated, but he seems like a lock for the job. He's on a long-term contract, wisely or not, and is both a fan favorite and experienced leader. It's almost surprising this hasn't happened already.

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Dallas Stars

Last captain: Brenden Morrow

Another tough set of shoes to fill. Morrow didn't have much left in the tank when Dallas traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins, but he commanded enough respect to supplant Mike Modano while Modano still was on the Stars. GM Jim Nill has said the team will choose a new captain for the 2013-14 season.

Prediction: Jamie Benn

Dallas has several veterans on short-term contracts (Sergei Gonchar, Ray Whitney) but Benn basically is the only choice. He signed a long-term deal last season and, at 24, continues to improve. He's also moving back to wing, thanks to the offseason additions of centers Tyler Seguin and Shawn Horcoff. Those goofy green jerseys need a 'C.'

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Edmonton Oilers

Last captain: Shawn Horcoff

Horcoff caught a lot of flak for his contract—specifically the fact that his offensive production didn't quite live up to it—but he did a good enough job in a messy situation and took some unfair criticism. He's in Dallas now.

Prediction: Andrew Ference

This is another spot where an unorthodox system could work—a rotating captaincy, an alternate-only group—but Ference, added in free agency from the Boston Bruins, makes the most sense. Yes, he's in his first season with the franchise, and yes, he's 34, but he's one of the more articulate, respected players in the league, and he could act as a bridge to one of the younger players (Taylor Hall or Jordan Eberle) taking the job down the road.

Mortal lock. He's a Hart Trophy candidate on one of the best contracts in the league, and he's somehow still 22. Tavares is the dude. The Isles should've called a press conference an hour after the paperwork on Streit's contract went through.

Chris Phillips has been a Senator since they took him first overall, and he wants the job. Erik Karlsson won a Norris Trophy at 23 and is signed through 2019. Both make sense. Spezza just makes more of it. Back injury or not, he's still an elite player, and he's been in Ottawa's leadership group for a huge portion of his career. Plus, that laugh. Oh, that laugh!

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Tampa Bay Lightning

Last captain: Vincent Lecavalier

If Lecavalier and the Lighting each had their way, he'd still be wearing the 'C.' Tampa Bay had no real choice but to buy him out, though, and like Streit, he signed for a lot of money with the Flyers.

Prediction: Martin St. Louis

This makes too much sense: Give the job to St. Louis, one of the most respected players in the league. He'll hold it for the rest of his career—scoring champ or not, he's 36—then hand it over to Steven Stamkos. Simple.